Trowel with interchangeable blades



JantZG, 1965 w. E. SELCK 3,165,776

TROWEL WITH INTERCHANGEABLE BLADES Filed April 16, 1962 INVENTOR.

WALTER E. SELCK ATTYS.

United States Patent M 3,166,776 TROWEL WITH INTERCHANGEABLE BLADES Walter E. Selck, Northfield, 11]., assignor to Walter E. Selck and (30., Chicago, 111., a corporation ofDelaware Filed Apr. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 187,688 2 Claims. (Cl. 15235.6)

This invention has to do with hand tools and is particularly concerned with improvements in trowels which are adapted for use in applying and spreading cement or adhesives of various kinds which are employed in connection with the installation of floor and wall coverings of linoleum, plastic sheeting, tile and the like.

In connection with the installation of wall and floor coverings of various kinds which involve the application to the surface of the wall or floor of a cement or adhesive, usually in paste form, trowels with special blades have. been developed for'applying the different kinds of materials which are designed to'permit the most efiicient application and spreading of the materials and to enable the workman to control more accurately the amount of the material which is being applied, thereby to obtain the best results. This has meant that the workman must supply himself with a relatively large number of trowels with blades of diiferent types so that he may be prepared to work with all kinds of materials and under varying conditions, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for this purpose which comprises a single handle member and a plurality of interchangeable blades adapted to be readily connected to the handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a detachable handle for a trowel blade which is readily connected to the blade and securely fastened thereon without the use of any special tools whereby one handle may be used with a number of interchangeable blades so as to permit a workman to quickly change to the tool he needs for a particular troweling operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a detachable trowel handle which is adapted to be used with a plurality of interchangeable blades and with the blades being constructed so as to permit the blade to be reversed relative to the handle to provide for right or left hand use and also to enable the workman to provide a new working edge when the previously used edge becomes worn.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the trowel handle and blade assembly which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a trowel which incorporates therein the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view with portions broken away, illustrating the assembly of the blade and handle members;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the trowel with the handle positioned on the blade for right hand use; and

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation to an enlarged scale and with portions broken away.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a trowel construction which comprises a blade member 10, a handle assembly 11 and a separable mounting assembly 12 for detachably connecting the handle assembly 11 and the blade member so that the handle assembly 11 and the blade member 10 may be reversed relative to each other for right hand or left hand use with the same blade, or the handle assembly 11 may be used with any one of a number of interchangeable blades having the same structure as blade member 10 or a different structure.

The blade member 10, which is illustrated, comprises a flat metal plate having a bottom face or working surface 14 and a top surface 15 on which the handle assem- 3,166,776 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 bly 11 is detachably mounted. The blade member 10 is preferably formed of a relatively thin and somewhat flexible. steel or other material having the strength and flexibility desired for the particular purpose for which it is designed to be used. The side edges 16 and 17 of the blade areparallel and the end edges 18 and 19 are also parallel but at an angle relative to the one side edge 16. The end and side edges 16, 17 and 18, 19 of the blade member are all notched with the notches 20 having the shape, size and spacing determined to be the most effective for spreading a particular kind or type of adhesive or other material.

A relatively narrow rail forming metal bar member 21 (FIGURE 2) is riveted at 22 or otherwise attached in fixed relation on the top surface 15 of the blade member 10 and forms part of the handle mounting assembly 12. The bar member 21 has its side edges undercut to provide a dovetail cross section and preferably is of a length some what less than the length of the blade member 10. It is attached to the blade member 10, in the form thereof which is illustrated, along a longitudinal center line with its ends terminating approximately equal distances from the end edges 18 and 19 of the blade member 10.

The handle assembly 11 includes a grip member 22 which may be formed of Wood, molded plastic or other material and which is shaped to be grasped comfortably by the hand of the user. The grip member 22 is attached to an upstanding stem forming member 23, which is part of the mounting assembly 12, by means of a bolt 24 and extends in generally parallel relation with the blade member 10. The bolt 24 has its free end threaded and the grip member 11 is held thereon by a washer and nut 25.

The handle mounting assembly 12 includes the upstanding stem member 23 and an elongate foot forming base member 26. The foot or base member 26 is substantially the same length as the bar member 21 and is of generally rectangular cross section with a downwardly opening groove or slot 27 in the bottom face which is of dovetail cross section for mating with the dovetail bar or rail 21. The foot member 26 has threaded bores 28 adjacent opposite ends thereof which receive knurled set screws or thumb screws 30 for securing the members 26 and 21 against relative movement. The bar member 21 may have position locating recesses 31 in which the ends of the locking screws 30 may seat.

In using the illustrated tool, the handle assembly 11 is mounted on the blade member 10, as indicated in FIG- URE 2, by inserting the end of the mounting bar 21 in the end of the groove 27 in the foot member 26 and sliding the members 21 and 26 relative to each other until the handle assembly 11 is positioned as desired by the user. Thereafter, the screws 30 are tightened to lock the blade and handle together. When the working edge of the blade member 10 becomes worn so that notches 20 no longer function properly, the blade member 10 may be disconnected from the handle and replaced so as to extend in the opposite direction which positions the blade member with the opposite edge thereof on the working side of the handle. The same blade may be employed for use with either hand, due to its shape and the notching about the entire periphery, by merely reversing the direction of the blade on the handle. The handle assembly 11 may, of course, be used with any blade which is provided with dovetail bar 21 or its equivalent so that a workman may be supplied with a single handle assembly and a plurality of different blades which he can then assemble as he desires for use'with various materials and under varying conditions.

While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the form of the tool illustrated, it will be understood that other materials and equivalent details may be resorted to Within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A trowel for spreading an adhesive on a wall or floor surface which comprises a blade, a grip forming member and a separable mounting for detachably andslidably connecting the blade and the grip forming member, said blade having parallel side edges and parallel end edges with the end edges extending at an acute angle to one side edge, said blade being uniformly notched about its entire periphery and said separable mounting comprising a stem member depending from one end of the grip forming member, a foot member extending in opposite directions at the bottom end of the stem member, said foot member having a dovetail groove in the bottom face, a dovetail .bar fixed to the top surface of the blade for receiving in slidable relation thereon the foot member, and set screws at the opposite ends of the foot member for securing the foot member in predetermined position on the dovetail bar whereby the grip forming member may be connected to the blade so as to extend in either direction for right hand or left hand use.

2. A trowel for spreading an adhesive on a wall or fioor surface which comprises a blade, a grip forming member and a dovtail mounting for retachably and slidably connecting the blade and the grip forming member, said blade having parallel side edges and parallel end edges with the end edges extending at an acute angle to one of the side edges, said blade having its side and end edges notched throughout the length thereof and said mounting comprising interengaging tongue and groove members of equal length on the handle and blade whereby the handle may be connected to the blade by sliding it onto either end of the blade thereby to provide for interchanging the edges of the blade and for right and left hand use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hogan Apr. 6, Huther Apr. 28, Linville July 5, Fritz Aug. 1, 1939 Jones Feb. 19, 1946 Williams Feb. 25, 1958 

2. A TROWEL FOR SPREADING AN ADHESIVE ON A WALL OR FLOOR SURFACE WHICH COMPRISES A BLADE, A GRIP FORMING MEMBER AND A DOVTAIL MOUNTING FOR RETACHABLY AND SLIDABLY CONNECTING THE BLADE AND THE GRIP FORMING MEMBER, SAID BLADE HAVING PARALLEL SIDE EDGES AND PARALLEL END EDGES WITH THE END EDGES EXTENDING AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO ONE OF THE SIDE EDGES, SAID BLADE HAVING ITS SIDE AND END EDGES NOTCHED THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF AND SAID MOUNTING COMPRISING INTERENGAGING TONGUE AND GROOVE MEMBERS OF EQUAL LENGTH ON THE HANDLE AND BLADE WHEREBY THE HANDLE MAY BE CONNECTED TO THE BLADE BY SLIDING IT ONTO EITHER END OF THE BLADE THEREBY TO PROVIDE FOR INTER- 